Ex-WVU QB Nicco Marchiol to Start for Northwestern vs. Iowa

Saturday night, former West Virginia quarterback Nicco Marchiol will get the start for Northwestern when they play host to No. 19 Iowa. This will be his first extensive action since his final game as a Mountaineer last season against Kansas. He has appeared in two games this season for the Wildcats (vs. Colorado, vs. Ball State) and is just 0/1 with two carries for 22 yards.

Things didn't work out for Nicco Marchiol in Morgantown, but he will always be remembered for his two wins over heated rival Pitt in the Backyard Brawl.

The 2023 game

Sep 16, 2023; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Nicco Marchiol (8) celebrates with fans after defeating the Pittsburgh Panthers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

This was a game that Marchiol was not expected to play in. He was backing up Garrett Greene, who got injured on the opening drive of the game, and it forced Neal Brown to throw the redshirt freshman into a tough situation. Brown relied on his defense to make plays and leaned heavily on the run game, making the game as simple as possible for the young Marchiol. He completed 6-of-9 pass attempts in this one for 60 yards and a touchdown. Outside of a botched handoff inside the red zone, he played a clean game, and that's all Neal Brown could ask for.

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The instant classic in 2025

Sep 13, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez celebrates with West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Nicco Marchiol (8) after defeating the Pittsburgh Panthers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Marchiol did not play well the week before in the loss to Ohio and really needed a big performance to cement himself as the guy. The first half was a struggle, and it led to Rich Rodriguez going through a carousel of quarterbacks before going back to Marchiol, which turned out to be the right call. The Mountaineers trailed 24-14 midway through the fourth quarter, and he orchestrated two scoring drives, including a game-tying touchdown pass to tight end Grayson Barnes with just 11 seconds left. They used the run game to will their way into the end zone in overtime and were able to get a stop on defense to pull off the unthinkable come-from-behind victory.

Marchiol came to West Virginia with high expectations. All he had ever done was win, and he was recruited heavily by Florida State, Michigan State, Arizona State, and several others. He just didn't fit in Rich Rod's system — it was a square peg in a round hole type of situation. If Neal Brown wasn't fired, he probably would have stuck around as the starter and posted better results in his more pro-like style of offense.

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